Slipper House

Built between 1843 and 1847, the Slipper Homestead is a restored farmhouse, decorated in the Lowe’s typical classic country style, while retaining some of the antiques and fixtures that were in the house when Ed Lowe took possession.

The property was originally owned by Richmond and Hannah Lake, who came to Cass County from New York in 1843. Richmond and Hannah Lake’s daughter, Hannah Rosetta Lake married Benjamin Franklin Slipper in 1875, which is where the Slipper House got its name. The Slipper’s raised six children in the house: Archie, Maud, Blanche, Glenn, Hannah Nevada, and Grace.

Of the six children, Glenn Slipper remained as the old house’s sole inhabitant in 1965; his wife Florence had died the previous year. In 1965 Ed Lowe drew up an agreement to purchase the property from Nevada Slipper, a retired nurse. Nevada was reluctant to discuss selling because although she was living in Dowagiac, she was concerned about her brother. Ed assured her Glenn could remain in the home as long as he wished. In 1967 Nevada, formalized the land contract with Ed with the stipulation that Glenn, 80 years old at the time, would have a life lease. Later it was learned that after their father’s death, the property had been deeded to the Slipper children, and only Glenn had deeded his portion to Nevada. It wasn’t until September 1971 that the property was deeded to Ed, subject to a life estate so Glenn could live there as long as he wished. While Glenn lived in the house, it had no indoor plumbing, although Ed had offered to put in a bathroom for him. Glenn refused saying he had lived there all of his life without one, and he didn’t want it. Ed did build him a new outhouse, which still stands on the west side of the house. In 1983 Glenn moved to a medical care facility, where he lived until his death at age 95 the following year.

As soon as Glenn moved, the Lowe’s began the renovation project that was completed in April 1984. A large family room and a bathroom were added. The kitchen was updated with modern plumbing, although the pump Glenn used when he lived there remains, and there is a working replica of a stove from yesteryear. Some of the evidence of the Slipper family was purposely left intact—notice the worn treads on the wooden steps of the interior stairs. The wood box and built-in cabinet in the small room off the kitchen are original to the house, and there is a photo of Glenn Slipper on the shelf of the bookcase.

The Slipper House kitchen was the setting for a photo in the article, Getting Started With Country Furnishings, which ran in Country Accents magazine, fall 1986. A more recent update occurred in 2017 changing the family room into a large bedroom.